Mass Effect: The Legend of Commander Shepard
by Custode delle chiavi
Summary: Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy, Star of Terra recipient, Captain of the Normandy, Hero of the Citadel, the Bane of Reapers and Collectors alike...no doubt you'd heard all this before, right? So... Do you want the legend...or the truth?...About him...or her? Or both? Listen, and you will know what many know not or choose to forget...
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Location: Unknown

Date: Unknown

Earth Time (Central): Unknown

* * *

><p><em>You don't have to let your past control you…<em>

_Go out there and give them hell. You were born to do this._

_Shepard, thank the Goddess you're alive!_

_I need a straight answer, Shepard!_

_It's the right call and you know it, Ash!_

_Let's get the hell out of here._

_Well, nobody's perfect._

_Shepard, good work on Freedom's Progress._

_Welcome to the new Normandy, Commander._

_Shepard, what can I do for you?_

_Find peace in the embrace of the Goddess._

_I'm Urndot Wrex and this is MY planet!_

_Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong._

_Goodbye, Shepard…and thank you._

_I'm Commander Shepard of the Alliance Navy._

_I'm Commander Shepard._

_Commander Shepard._

_John Alan Bartlett Shepard._

_Great Soldier. Better man._

* * *

><p>"There's so many of them." The child said to Stargazer.<p>

He heard it, but the old 'man's' thoughts were always elsewhere, thinking on times past long ago and far away. Times when men and aliens came together to battle villains, terrorists, and machine gods. Times that stories held in their palms but certain details blew off like leaves. Times that invented heroes fighting impossible odds and suicidal missions.

Times everyone knew of, but cared not to remember.

After all, what good is the past if it's only in stories?

"Has there always been so many?" The boy asked again, still staring into the night sky.

Stargazer chuckled. "Yes, my sweet. They've always been there. Once, we traveled to many of them. Once."

"But we can't anymore?" The boy asked, visibly disappointed.

Stargazer patted the little one's shoulder. "Maybe someday, but not now."

"Oh…"

Stargazer sighed. He had cared for the boy since he was an infant, and knew one day his curiosity would get the better of him and nudge him to ask questions he had the right to know but still shouldn't know; some knowledge is best left in the void.

"You said we did travel up there once. How?"

And there it was. The moment he had hoped and dreaded for a long time. He could ignore it, even avoid it, but he Stargazer knew the boy would persist and persist until his already thinning gray hairs fell out and then some.

"Well…We don't know **everything**, but we do know that once we traveled up there whenever we wanted to, and we weren't the only ones in the universe. It would take too long to go back to the **real** beginning of time, but I do know where to start this story…it began…oh, so very long ago. With a man we only know about it in stories and tales. If you wish to know how we once traveled up there, into the stars and beyond, then perhaps it's time I told you about the story of the man who saved us all form extinction. Let me tell you the tale of 'The Shepard'…"

* * *

><p>Disclaimer: All properties of the Mass Effect franchise (it's dialogue, codexes, and other materials) are copyrighted under Bioware and its Edmonton Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, Electronic Arts, Demiurge Studios, Edge of Reality, and the licensing of Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3.<p>

A special shout-out to the creators of the first game who brought this sci-fi epic to our PCs and XBOX 360s:

Director Casey Hudson; Lead Writer Drew Karpyshyn; Game Writers Lukas Kristjanson, Chris L'Etoile, Mac Walters, Mike Laidlaw, and Patrick Weekes; Music Composers Jack Wall, Sam Hulick, David Kates, and Richard Jacques (cinematic scoring); Art Director Derek Watts; Lead Progammer David Falkner; Lead Designer Preston Watamaniuk; and all the atrists and programmers that work on _Mass Effect._

A very special thanks to Mark Meer, Jennifer Hale, Seth Green, Brandon Keener, Raphael Sbarge, Kimberly Brooks, Steven Barr, Liz Sroka, Ali Hillis, and David Anderson for making _Mass Effect_ more awesome and badass than anyone could have ever imagined...


	2. Restricted Information

_Accessing Alliance Military Database **N7**_

_Classified-TOP SECRET_

_+override code: CLASSIFIED (****)_

_code: CONFIRMED. _

_+COMMMAND: Connect to Database._

_establishing secure connection..._

_finalizing..._

_secure connection: CONFIRMED._

_-due to covert N& status, ID records are incomplete. Confirm identity from stored records or register manually-_

_+Assess code: 2-6-3-0-3-6-9-1-Delta-Sigma._

_+Password: Long Live the Normandy._

_code: CONFIRMED_

_password: ACCEPTED_

_processing..._

_assessing credentials..._

_+passcode: CLASSIFIED (*******)_

_credentials: CONFIRMED._

_Welcome, Lieutenant Frost. Please make a selection.  
><em>

_+COMMAND: access records._

_accessing records. Subject content?_

_..._

_+Commander Shepard._

_..._

_access restricted to Alliance High Command and Citadel Councilors only. Please select another topic._

_+override code: CLASSIFIED (****)_

_code: CONFIRMED. _

_Access Granted. _

_loading data..._

_loading..._

_load: COMPLETE._

_**Full Name: **_John Alan Bartlett Shepard

**_Birth Date: _**April the 11th, 2154

**_Origin: _**Spacer

_**Brief Description:**_ Both of Shepard's parents were in the Alliance military. His childhood was spent on ships and stations as they transferred from posting to posting, never staying in one location for more than a few years. Following in his parents' footsteps, he enlisted at the age of eighteen.

_COMMAND: search of Shepard's family._

_searching..._

_Match Found._

**_Known living family members: _ **Jane Margaret Shepard, Commander in Alliance Navy; Hannah Shepard, Admiral in Alliance Navy.

_**Available service record: Commander Jane**** Shepard: **_Graduate of graduate of the Systems Alliance N7 special forces program (service no. 5923-AC-2825) alongside her brother.

_-Additional profile viewing requires Alliance High Command personal ONLY-_

_+override code : CLASSIFIED (****)_

_code: CONFIRMED._

**_ Designation: _Sole Survivor:** During her service, a mission Shepard were on went horribly wrong. Trapped in an extreme survival situation, she had to overcome physical torments and psychological stresses that would have broken most people. Shepard survived while all those around her fell, and now she alone is left to tell the tale. The 'Sole Survivor's' unit was slaughtered in a thresher maw attack on Akuze.

_+COMMAND: Pull up detailed description of Designation 'Sole Survivor'._

_command: CONFIRMED._

One of Shepard's first missions after her N7 promotion was an expedition to investigate Akuze, a lush world on the outskirts of Alliance space that had suddenly dropped out of contact. Arriving on the surface, her patrol found the settlement intact, but there were no survivors.

At nightfall, the thresher maws struck - mindless abominations of teeth and tentacles that rose from beneath the earth. Constant gunfire couldn't drown out the shrieks of Shepard's fellow soldiers as they were dragged down to a gruesome death.

Fifty marines died on Akuze under her command. She were the only one to make it back to the landing zone alive. A monument on the planet commemorates the massacre, a grim reminder of the price humanity must pay as they spread throughout the stars.

**_Available service record: Admiral Hannah Shepard: _**As of 2183, she serves as the executive officer aboard the Alliance dreadnought SSV Kilimanjaro (named for Mt. Kilimanjaro). One of her previous postings was on the Alliance carrier SSV Einstein (named for Professor Albert Einstein); Participant in rescue mission to Mindoir in 2170.

_COMMAND: Return to Commander John Shepard's files_.

_accessing..._

**_Last Known Occupation(s): _**Marine enlisted in Alliance Navy, Graduate of N7 Program in (_CLASSIFIED) _with his sister, Jane; Received rank of Commander in (_CLASSIFIED)_, first XO aboard SSV Normandy, first joint project between human and turian military. Jane Shepard also recommended for post; Alliance High Command voted 2-1 in favor of John.

_**service no.:** 5923-AC-2826_

_+COMMAND: Pull up Psychological Profile_

_accessing..._

_access denied._

_-Further information is available only to Alliance High Command, the Council, and Council-appointed Spectres-_

_+override code: CLASSIFIED (****-**-**)_

_code: COMFIRMED._

_Access Granted._

**_Designation:_ War Hero:** Early in his military career, Shepard found yourself facing an overwhelming enemy force. He risked his own life to save his fellow soldiers and defeat the enemy despite the impossible odds. His bravery and heroism have earned his medals and recognition from the Alliance fleet. The 'War Hero' almost single-handedly repelled an attack by batarian slavers on Elysium.

_+COMMAND: Find more detailed description. Spectre File 224. Section 3_

_-Please verify credentials-_

_+Passcode: 6-6-2-1-9_

_establishing credentials..._

_access granted._

_downloading Spectre File 224. Section 3._

_downloading..._

_download complete._

_+COMMAND: Pull up detailed description of Designation 'War Hero'._

_command: CONFIRMED_

John Shepard was on shore leave at Elysium when the first wave of the Skyllian Blitz struck. A massive coalition force of slavers, crime syndicates, and batarian warlords attacked the human colony, determined to wipe it out.

He rallied the civilian inhabitants, leading them in their desperate fight to hold off the invaders. When enemy troops broke through the colony's defenses, Shepard single-handedly held them off and sealed the breach.

After hours of brutal fighting, reinforcements finally arrived and the enemy broke ranks and fled. Because of his actions, Elysium was saved, and you are regarded throughout the Alliance as a true hero, as well as a recipient of the Star of Terra.

+_COMMAND: Access records on Eden Prime mission. Year: 2183._

_command: DENIED._

_-Only the Citadel Council can authorize content involving mission on Eden Prime, Year 2183-_

_+override code: CLASSIFIED (****)_

_code: DENIED._

_..._

_+override code: CLASSIFIED (*******)_

_code: DENIED._

_..._

_+COMMAND: Unlock Spectre Recruitment file 177._

_+override code: CLASSIFIED (****-*****)_

_+password: Shepard was Right_

_code...CONFIRMED._

_password...ACCEPTED._

_processing..._

_gathering data..._

_decrypting data..._

_analyzing..._

_loading..._

_Access Granted._

_+COMMAND: Bring up video logs on 'Shepard' Spectre recruitment. Year: 2183._

_command: CONFIRMED._

_initiating..._

_Please press (CLASSIFIED) to continue._

* * *

><p>Three men were sitting in a room located at Alliance High Command on Earth. One was dressed in finer civilian clothes; the others in military uniforms. Over two dozen files of soldiers, engineers, adepts, infiltrators, sentinels, and vanguards were all scattered across the glass table. All three men looked like they had been at this process for hours, if not days.<p>

"Well...what about Shepard?" said the voice of the human ambassador to the Council, Donnell Udina, after reading through all files of their top candidates for some important job. He was now holding the second to the last one. "He's a spacer. Lived aboard starships most of his life."

The man across from him, Captain David Anderson, nodded. "Military service runs in the family. Both his parents were in the navy. His sister serves under Steve. His mother is still active in the Alliance. Commands the Kilimanjaro. His father...passed away some years ago."

The man next to Anderson, an Admiral whose face had seen many battles that included the First Contact War, was Steven Hackett, commanding officer of the Alliance's Fifth Fleet. He was looking at a different file but still in on the conversation."Youngest graduate out of the N7 program to date by a year. One of our best marines in ranged and melee combat."

"Other accolades?" Udina asked.

Hackett didn't even have to pull out a data-pad. "He proved himself in the Blitz. Held off enemy forces on the ground until reinforcements arrived. Received the Star of Terra for his heroism. Hell, our new boys even gave him a nickname of his valor: the 'War Hero'."

Anderson stated blunted to Udina, "**He's** the only reason Elysium is still standing."

The ambassador had been through many others' files like Shepard, all ranging in scope of intelligence and acts of bravery. Anderson didn't want a political figurehead for this job, but Udina was not of the same mind, though he would say it or show it. "We can't question his courage."

"Humanity **needs** a hero, Udina, and Shepard's the best we've got. After all the resumes we've read, Shepard's the cream of the crop here." Anderson might have been alluding that he wanted the kid all along, but in respect to the Alliance, other soldiers should be given a fair look-through, including someone else very close to Shepard...once.

"Let's not forget we have two Shepards, David. Both excel at their positions."

The ambassador coughed. "There is...the matter of his sister, Admiral. The..."The Sole Survivor' as they call her."

Hackett stared at the politician for the longest time. "What of it?" He finally fired back.

"Her record is near identical to her brothers, with some differences in either mission parameters or results, but her emotional state is...questionable. Do you disagree?"

David looked long and hard at his good friend, Steven Hackett. Jane didn't have the life her brother did. For some odd reason of curse from up high, she'd always get the shorter end of the stick. He even wanted both Shepards on board; hell, he was comfortable with two XOs, but High Command was a bunch of bias shitholes when it came to the Shepards, including Udina. John always got more than Jane, and John hated it. Anderson hated it. Hackett hated it the most since he was the one to take her under his wing after her father died. High Command didn't give a damn. Both Shepard were excellent candidates, but sexism was still active if not regularly practiced in the high brass, no matter what the brass said publicly or privately.

His thoughts were interrupted as Hackett finally spoke, his voice cold but sympathetic, not wanting to speak but having no other choice; there were no false reports given to the Council on matters like this. "Well...she saw her whole unit die on Akuze. What those threshers did...as ashamed I am to say this, she could have some serious emotional scars."

"**Every** soldier has scars. Shepard's a survivor. Like her father, mother, and brother." Anderson retorted to his friends defense, which Hackett appreciated immensely.

Udina wasn't on board. He added to Hackett's remark, though it increased the tension of the room. "But to **that** extent? The traumatic stress she had the deal with...I know the girl is one of the best N7 graduates to date, and I'm not going to be the one to rip the tracks right under her feet, Anderson, but we're putting our cards on a bet I'm not sure we can win. Too much is riding on this. if we do this-"

Anderson was having enough of this bull. "Udina! She isn't a goddamn tool! And her brother is anything but a poster boy for the Alliance! They're both humans, Jane as much as John! I don't want them to be mascots or goddamn trophies for the Alliance to show off! We've discussed this countless times! We want both!"

"They want **one**." The ambassador said flatly. "As far as I see it, a war hero has better odds for this than a sole survivor, **Captain**."

Anderson huffed then sat back down in his chair, his anger vented. "It's a shit deal, Udina."

"Someone has to be on the short end of the stick, no matter how talented they are." he said, cooly and with no remorse as to Jane's wellbeing.

"That depends on your point of view, ambassador." Hackett spit the last noun out with venom.

Udina paid no heed to it and continued the deliberations. "Both of their profiles raise hopes as well as concerns...still, John's heroic actions on Elysium speak louder than Jane's survival instincts on Akuze. If this can work, we'll ask them to look into Jane Shepard, but until that time, John will be our candidate. Can I count on you two to support this?"

Both Alliance soldiers said nothing, but looked to each other then back at Udina and nodded.

Good, that's settled. So, then, I want a straight answer from you, Anderson, when the Council and Alliance Command ask me about our decision: John Shepard is an exceptional soldier, but is that the kind of person we **want** protecting the galaxy?"

Anderson's confidence was the final push. "Ambassador, that's the only kind of person who **can** protect the galaxy."

There was a eerie lack of speech. Then Udina said, "Very well, then. I'll make the call."

* * *

><p><em>-Continued access involves High Command consent-<em>

_+passcode: 7-0-7-4-1-4-7_

_code: CONFIRMED_

_access: GRANTED_

* * *

><p>"I hope this works, Anderson. For all our sakes." Hackett said while Udina was engaging in a conversation with his secretary via comlink.<p>

"Steve, I know how you feel. Don't think I'm not sharing your pain. I want both of them in, as do you. That not how those political asses want it done. They want a poster boy before anything else. We can't do much now."

Hackett clenched his fists, so angry with Udina he would have laid him out right there, even though he was up there in years, but knowing of the consequences if he went with his feelings. "What should I tell her?"

"The truth: The brass prefer John to her."

Hackett breathed slowly. "Don't say you're not happy for John."

"If this was down with fucking unbiased minds, then yes. Nothing should come at her cost. I really hate this shit, Steve."

"That makes two of us...do you think John can do it? We screwed up with the best of us last time with this."

Anderson nodded, then grabbed John Shepard's , frowning. "I know. It ruined our last candidate, didn't it?"

Hackett took Jane's files and smiled before saying, "Not from where I'm standing."

The room faded out.

* * *

><p><em>transmission ended.<em>

_COMMAND: Log out._

_command: CONFIRMED._

_logging out._

_-Thank you for visiting the Alliance Extranet. Have a good day-_

* * *

><p><strong><em>In 2148, explorers on Mars discovered the remains of an ancient spacefaring civilization. In the decades that followed, these mysterious artifacts revealed startling new technologies, enabling travel to the furthest stars. The basis of this incredible technology was a force that controlled the very fabric of space and time.<em>**

**_They called it the greatest discovery in human history._**

**_The civilizations of the galaxy call it..._**

**_MASS EFFECT_**


End file.
